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Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Confidence

Confidence. Without
it we can accomplish nothing. Confidence
is very important for a runner. It is
what gets you to the starting line.

A good friend and I have both been (separately) mulling over
the idea of attempting a full marathon. We
discuss it often. She has attempted a full
before but was swept at mile 14. She
feels that she must complete a full—to prove to herself she can do it. I don’t
know why in the world I want to attempt a full.
I guess I feel like it’s a natural progression. I started with a 5k, then a 7 miler, than a
10 miler, then a half marathon. A full
marathon should be next, right?

I think my friend has a very good reason for wanting to
complete a full marathon. She wants to
do it for herself. She is not working
for someone else’s approval or to impress anyone—she is doing it for her! I really respect that. I guess my reason for wanting to do a full is
similar, but my desire is nowhere near hers.

I keep asking myself—am I really capable of this? Can my body really complete 26.2 miles? I believe that just about anyone is capable
of finishing a half marathon, if they train well. A full marathon is a different beast. It is very hard on the body, both physically
and mentally. Is it really worth
it? These are the things that keep going
through my mind when I think about doing a full marathon.

How do you know when you are ready for a full marathon? How do you get the confidence to get to the
start line?

15 comments:

See I don't feel that it is necessarily the "natural" progression. I have no desire to ever attempt a full. I have thought about it a lot and every time I do, the only reason I want to is for the medal. And when it comes to a full, that's not enough for me. I'm glad that I have done half marathons and I will continue to do them but I have no desire to go farther. Just like Halves aren't for everyone, neither are fulls and I don't feel like any less of a runner for not wanting to do one. It's a personal decision that only you can make.

I, too keep tossing around the idea of doing a full someday! I really want to do Goofy - but I'd like to do 'just' a full first. Not sure if I ever will because committing to the training will be tough! I stuck to the training plan for the half and was fine but it was hard to fit in my schedule. BUT in the event that I do - I have a couple Marathons in mind!! I guess first I'd like to get my pace up, do more halves and then see!

Goofy would be the one I would do! And/or Nike San Fransisco. It is very time consuming! My long runs for the half have been taking me 3-4 hours on a Sunday afternoon. Training for a full would be double that. I have the same plan as you--keep doing some halves and get my confidence up--then decided.

No desire to run a full. Too slow a runner to bother with 6-7 hour training runs. The thing is, I KNOW I could do one if I wanted. The half taught me that. I CAN run a full, if I give it my attention. But, I am making the choice that it's not for me. I get the same basic medal for a full as a half. I get the same basic shirt.

Though I have my full marathon location decided upon if I ever decide to try - London. It's a lottery race and I figure if I'm meant to do it, then getting in means I was meant to run a full. Until then, I'm happy with 5ks, 10ks, relays, and halfs.

I gotta say, after I completede the half, I had (and still don't have) any desire to attempt a full marathon. If a full 26.2 is your thing, then by all mean go for it! I totally respect anyone who can complete that as a certified bad ass. :) I just know it's not for me. I love the running, the distance isn't the big picture for me.

Now, I've been mulling this same thing over for many months now...for a while I've been content to say that I want to WANT to run a full, but that I just don't. Lately though, I think about it more and more and wonder if I'm finally coming around...I've become a runDinsey addict (Princess 2011 was my first half!) so the Disney World marathon would be an awesome choice for my first...and can I tell you I teared up watching the youtube video that was released this morning of the new 20th anniversary course for the Disney Marathon 2013? What's with that? (and then THIS post...it's gotta be a sign!) I'm taking that as a sign that I may have moved into the "I want to do it" phase, but am now firmly stuck in the "scared as H-E-double-hockey-sticks to make the commitment" phase. I've watched my BF train for a full for two years in a row now, and he's awesome, way faster than me and alot of the time more disciplined than me (he just got confirmed into the 3rd one for 2013 here locally...going for sub-4 hour this time!)and the training for a full is pretty gruelling even on him...I just cannot wrap my mind around the training for the full...the mileage makes me want to pee my pants! That's really my only stumbling block right now...I have no problems fitting it into my schedule (no kids), I have tons of moral support from family and friends (one is even a trainer!), I'm just too scared to finally say it out loud I think. I gotta figure out how to buck-up I guess :) The crazy, bad-a$$ Iron Man is coming to my town this weekend for the second year in a row...we spectated it last year at several locations and it was amazing and inspiring to watch. I'm thinking I need to get out there and do that again this weekend...it might just muster up some courage in me.

Summer--I am scared as H E double hockey sticks too, LOL. Hello, my name is Amy and I am a runDisney addict....There really needs to be a group for us. A sub 4 hours marathon? My half is not much faster. I think the fact that Disney offers a brand new, awesome course just hours after I right this post--yeap, that's my sign too! Lets do this! 2014!

Just wanted to send a message since I found your blog today and realized that you live in Red Lion and I live in York. I'm thinking about doing a half and think the perfect place to start would be at Disney. Good luck on your journey and thanks for sharing your story with others. It's very inspiring.

I am a slow runner, so the training time is what has held me back from even registering for a half. After my 10 K, I decided to train for a mini triathalon instead of logging the extra miles. The mileage was getting boring. The tri training keeps it interesting! I love mixing up my fitness with biking and swimming!